News Center 7’s John Bedell talked with Stefanie Cooper, mother of Jayde Payne, the Twin Valley South eighth-grader who killed herself before school on Jan. 8, 2019.
Anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide can call the national suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255. The hotline is available 24 hours everyday.
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Cooper said that her daughter was strong and stuck up for kids who were getting bullied, but that bullying eventually got to the point her daughter broke.
Now Cooper says she wears special bracelets to celebrate her daughter’s life and is hoping that by sharing her daughter’s story she can prevent other kids who are bullied from taking their lives.
Cooper claims that the Twin Valley School District did not do enough to stop the bullying and is not doing enough now to stop it from happening to other children.
Bedell also talked with school officials at Twin Valley Community Schools who said they have several programs in place to address bullying and suicide.
[ Twin Valley South 8th-grader dies following suicide attempt ]
Officials also said they hold a suicide prevention fair for grades sixth through 12th grades every May.
Cooper says she has experienced so much pain in the last month, but has found the strength to talk to News Center 7 in hopes of making a difference.
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“I can’t bring my daughter back, but if we can prevent other kids from committing suicide due to bullying, then that’s what I’m trying to do,” said Cooper.
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